Has anyone ever wondered why EVERY commercial for a new seasonal allergy drug always has a beautiful field of flowers, the wind blows pollen all over, and the actor in the commercial sneezes? Or how about the big fluffy golden retriever that just jumped off the couch sending pet dander everywhere? Why does your nose run and eyes water from just watching these ads on TV? These commercials are not an accident, but rather they are designed this way, because the mind is a powerful thing. The power of suggestion is used to create a sense of need to buy their product.
A study done at Harvard tested the blood of a number of subjects and took the individuals with NO ALLERGEN markers in their blood and put them in a controlled clean room (no chance for exposure to allergens basically). These subjects were exposed to video images of flowers, pollen, pet dander, etc then their blood retested. What they found were that the allergens markers for those particular allergens were now being manufactured by the immune system and were now present in their blood. Without ever being exposed to the threat your body began creating defenses against it!
Allergies are toxins in our environment that should not be in our body, but when they are, our immune system (defense system) is there to prevent them from causing problems. Sometimes our immune system creates mucus to trap the allergies in (snot and tears) or sometimes your immune system battles the allergens directly in the blood stream. When our immune systems are operating properly, we rarely experience symptoms from allergies.
However things like stress, poor diet or nutrition, brain imbalances, etc can decrease the effectiveness of our immune system. An over whelmed immune system tends to over-react to the presence of allergens and the results are seasonal allergy symptoms such as itchy eyes, runny nose, congestion, sinus headache, etc. It’s basically like sending the whole military after a bank robber.
So how exactly can chiropractic help with your seasonal allergy problems? I though chiropractors were only for neck or low back pain? Many chiropractors should address your allergies with adjustments AND nutrition/dietary changes to help remove the problems that are causing your decreased immune system. The chiropractic adjustment is basically the act of re-aligning a mis-aligned bone in order to allow the body, nervous system, immune system, etc. to operate optimally. This is usually performed on a vertebra of the spine since these bones have the most direct contact with the nervous system, however, any bone that forms a join with another
bone can be adjusted including shoulders, knees, ribs, and even the bones of the face! For example, when you are stressed the muscles across the top of your shoulders and up the sides of your neck get very tense.
This tension causes a number of problems for the immune system such as decreasing lymphatic flow (the immune drainage system), altering blood flow, closing the pharyngotympanic (Eustachian) tube in the inner ear, congesting the sinuses of the face, etc. Chiropractic adjustments can reduce this tension and relax these muscles thus allowing the immune system to perform its tasks effectively. There have also been studies that show the chiropractic adjustment boosts the immune system. The bones of the face can even be adjusted to allow the sinus to drain more efficiently.
Brain Balancing is also very effective at fighting seasonal allergy attacks. The human cortex (conscious brain) has two sides, a right and a left, which have different characteristics. The right brain concerns itself more with creativity, imagination, dreams, thinking things through, and has more connection to the sympathetic nervous system, AKA the stress response. The left brain is more associated with action with less thought, motivation, and has more connections to the parasympathetic nervous system, AKA the rest & digest responses. A health body has balance between both sides of the brain. A person that is more right brained will be more prone to stress, have an impaired immune system, and have more digestive issues. A person that is more left brained with be more aggressive, act without thinking, and have difficulty concentrating. Remember the Harvard study and the allergy commercials mentioned above? Essential what they found was that an overactive or overly dominate RIGHT brain was creating allergy symptoms (creative imagination) when no allergens were even present. These right brained individuals already have a decreased immune system because they are constantly in stress mode. In order to help restore a strong immune system one MUST balance the brain. This is where the chiropractor comes in.
A chiropractic adjustment is movement of a joint, and movement sends a nervous system impulse up the spine then across to the opposite cortex of the brain. Thus to balance the brain of an overactive right/decreased left brain individual, the chiropractor can adjust the patient’s body (spine or extremity) on the right side ONLY, sending a nervous signal up the spine and across to the left brain resulting in an increase in left brain stimulation.
This can be done till both sides of the brain are balanced and the patient is removed from the stress mode, allowing his or her immune system to be restored. The chiropractor can also recommend arm and leg exercises to help balance the brain, as well as the use of cold light laser
or vibration therapies to send nervous system impulses up the spine to stimulate the brain. A balanced brain means a healthy body!
Christopher Gratton owns and operates Gratton Chiropractic in Kilgore, Texas. He can be reached by email gratton_chiropractic@yahoo.com or call (903) 218 5353. His offices are located at 1100 Stone Road, Suite 269, Kilgore, Texas 75662. Christopher graduated at the top of his class from Parker College of Chiropractic in 2007. He graduated from Austin College with B.A. in Biology in 2003.
Publisher’s Comment:
Chris is the best chiropractor I have ever met and had the pleasure of being his patient. I have experienced several different chiropractors from around the globe with my golf career and none took the time to educate me about their philosophy and techniques as well as Chris. He is at the forefront of Chiropractic technology and all of us in East Texas should feel privileged to have him in our community. Take the time to schedule an appointment and learn how you can feel better with Chris’ help.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Empower Texans
Town hall’s in turmoil, neighbors coming to blows, protesters shouting down the authority, organized opposition standing defiant against the machine… Sounds like the “Liberals” are at it again… But wait! No! Are those Republicans? Fiscally conservative activist? Huh? Is that real? Are you serious?
YES!!! They are serious!
Is it all Rush Limbaugh and Tea Parties? Could be, but not all. There are some out there who are so mystified by the radical shift in quick legislation that Obamacare died during halftime while our reps were making their cases at home. Yes, sometimes the Washington inside-the-belt professional politicians still listen to their constituents – sometimes.
So, here is my question… who or what can we do at a state level to make sure that what we want is actually done? Obviously, universal public optioned healthcare is not what we want. There are several polls – leftie and rightie – that say that we do not want government mandated healthcare for everyone. As you can see by the media covered town halls in turmoil, we are making a stand.
But what about our views, our beliefs, our principles… how can we convey to our representative state government what we desire for them to do for us?
There are groups, organizations, PACs, centers, policy driven institutions that we can support. Support by your pocket book, your voice, your influence, your activity in your immediate community.
This article is the first in a series on state level organizations that all of us could support if our views, beliefs, and/or principles align what I will say is that this publication will make endorsements of candidates at the city, county, and state levels using information from some of the organizations The Texan profiles. This is something The Texan did not do in our first year.
The first organization featured is EMPOWER TEXANS. EMPOWER TEXANS’ mission statement says that EMPOWER TEXANS exists to create and sustain a system of strong fiscal stewardship within all levels of Texas government, ensuring the greatest amounts of economic and personal liberty, and promoting public policies that provide individuals with the freedom to use their strengths and talents in pursuit of greater opportunities.
EMPOWER TEXANS is headed by Michael Quinn Sullivan and drives most of EMPOWER TEXANS’ stance on specific bills. He is very enthusiastic and articulate about EMPOWER TEXANS’ position on our state’s spending. I sat down with him at his office in Austin. I liked him instantly. Every sixth or seventh word had a tinge of twang that comes from his Texas roots. He is tall and stays in shape by running five miles almost everyday.
On the EMPOWER TEXANS’ website, the Fort Worth Star Telegram said Sullivan “slays taxpayer dragons in Austin… When the heat is on in Austin, Michael Quinn Sullivan knows how to make it even hotter.” Sullivan is a former newspaper reporter, Capitol Hill staffer and think tank vice president.
My conversation with Sullivan started with a few questions on terminology. From reading the EMPOWER TEXANS’ website, the word conservative is numerous when describing fiscally responsible representatives. Sullivan told me in very plain English that EMPOWER TEXANS is for any representative that spends our money efficiently, whether they are considered conservative, liberal, Democrat, Republican, Green, blue or red.
During the first five minutes of our conversation, we talked about economics and he mentioned the words… Ludwig Von Mises. From reading a few of my articles in prior Texan issues, you will know that I am a big Mises fan. I believe Austrian economics is the best philosophy for economics and cash flow. So I knew from the get go, Mr. Sullivan would be “preaching to the choir” so to speak as we talked about his organization.
Efficiency was talked about in-depth with respect to flow of money from taxpayers to government and back. “Only government dollars should be spent on what government can do”, Sullivan answered as I asked what government should be doing with our money.
He has great ideas that make sense to me, but others with a different philosophy would disagree. Sullivan mentioned the “yellow pages test”. If there is a business in the yellow pages then there should not be another government entity created to compete with that business. He used copy and print services as an example.
Continued on page ??
“The state does not need to put in their own print and copy department when there is a business that it can flow tax dollars to”, Sullivan exclaimed. He, once again, hit a high note with me on the flow of tax dollars instead of the capturing of tax dollars.
Continuing on with what seemed like a brainstorming session for fixing the inefficiencies of government, Sullivan evangelized on interstate healthcare markets, reforming educational geography limits, consumption based tax systems and Social Security phase out plans.
With my ever optimistic view, I asked what or how we could start to build a better, more efficient government structure. He responded with, “the healthiest thing to happen to Texas”. In 2003, the state budget had a $10,000,000,000 (that’s a lot of zeros) shortfall. Instead of increasing the budget, which would have increased our taxes, the state decided to zero out the budget. With this strategy, every state run entity had to show cause why they should be funded. In other words, prove that they were worthy of our tax dollars.
One program Sullivan mentioned was a program on space flight development. Space flight development in the state owned air space. Yes, space flight. Needless to say that program did not continue on in its entirety. The state found the much needed $10 billion.
One thing that makes EMPOWER TEXANS unique is the Fiscal Responsibility Index. This listing of representatives from their respected districts, both from the House and Senate, uses certain bills introduced in the State Legislature as benchmarks to grade our representatives. Rusk County representatives Chuck Hopson (D) and Kevin Eltife (R) scored 45% and 37% respectfully. The index is weighted according to bills EMPOWER TEXANS is either for or against. You can see a list of how your representative voted and scored at www.EMPOWERTEXANS.com.
As you will see from the bills listed on EMPOWER TEXANS’ website used for benchmarking, most deal with some sort of spending program or reforming of an existing spending program. The index does not rate any of our representatives on the state budget.
Another idea Sullivan mentioned was building a matrix to measure how much “good the public was getting out of our tax dollars.” With some programs, especially education, more money is not the answer. “Throwing more money at it does not work”, Sullivan says. This strategy has been proven inefficient time and time again and the only group that suffers the most is our children. EMPOWER TEXANS is all about efficiency and flow of tax dollars to the most appropriate programs for the greater good.
For more information about how you can become part of EMPOWER TEXANS, log on to www.EMPOWERTEXANS.com or call Michael Quinn Sullivan at 512.236.0201. EMPOWER TEXANS has over 400 active donors and boasts a 60,000 membership on their website. Michael Quinn Sullivan does not directly influence our representatives; he influences the people of Texas to influence their respected representatives. According to the website, Sullivan spends most of his time traveling from Beaumont to El Paso, McAllen to Dalhart speaking to political organizations, civic clubs, neighborhood groups and in educational forums about the important policy reforms needed in Texas.
There is no cost thanks to their generous donors; EMPOWER TEXANS’ desire is to get more Texans engaged in the political and policy process. Sullivan’s speeches are tailored to the groups he is addressing, based on their interests. EMPOWER TEXANS’ primary focus is on fiscal conservativism, but will discuss a broad range of issues of both policy and political interest.
YES!!! They are serious!
Is it all Rush Limbaugh and Tea Parties? Could be, but not all. There are some out there who are so mystified by the radical shift in quick legislation that Obamacare died during halftime while our reps were making their cases at home. Yes, sometimes the Washington inside-the-belt professional politicians still listen to their constituents – sometimes.
So, here is my question… who or what can we do at a state level to make sure that what we want is actually done? Obviously, universal public optioned healthcare is not what we want. There are several polls – leftie and rightie – that say that we do not want government mandated healthcare for everyone. As you can see by the media covered town halls in turmoil, we are making a stand.
But what about our views, our beliefs, our principles… how can we convey to our representative state government what we desire for them to do for us?
There are groups, organizations, PACs, centers, policy driven institutions that we can support. Support by your pocket book, your voice, your influence, your activity in your immediate community.
This article is the first in a series on state level organizations that all of us could support if our views, beliefs, and/or principles align what I will say is that this publication will make endorsements of candidates at the city, county, and state levels using information from some of the organizations The Texan profiles. This is something The Texan did not do in our first year.
The first organization featured is EMPOWER TEXANS. EMPOWER TEXANS’ mission statement says that EMPOWER TEXANS exists to create and sustain a system of strong fiscal stewardship within all levels of Texas government, ensuring the greatest amounts of economic and personal liberty, and promoting public policies that provide individuals with the freedom to use their strengths and talents in pursuit of greater opportunities.
EMPOWER TEXANS is headed by Michael Quinn Sullivan and drives most of EMPOWER TEXANS’ stance on specific bills. He is very enthusiastic and articulate about EMPOWER TEXANS’ position on our state’s spending. I sat down with him at his office in Austin. I liked him instantly. Every sixth or seventh word had a tinge of twang that comes from his Texas roots. He is tall and stays in shape by running five miles almost everyday.
On the EMPOWER TEXANS’ website, the Fort Worth Star Telegram said Sullivan “slays taxpayer dragons in Austin… When the heat is on in Austin, Michael Quinn Sullivan knows how to make it even hotter.” Sullivan is a former newspaper reporter, Capitol Hill staffer and think tank vice president.
My conversation with Sullivan started with a few questions on terminology. From reading the EMPOWER TEXANS’ website, the word conservative is numerous when describing fiscally responsible representatives. Sullivan told me in very plain English that EMPOWER TEXANS is for any representative that spends our money efficiently, whether they are considered conservative, liberal, Democrat, Republican, Green, blue or red.
During the first five minutes of our conversation, we talked about economics and he mentioned the words… Ludwig Von Mises. From reading a few of my articles in prior Texan issues, you will know that I am a big Mises fan. I believe Austrian economics is the best philosophy for economics and cash flow. So I knew from the get go, Mr. Sullivan would be “preaching to the choir” so to speak as we talked about his organization.
Efficiency was talked about in-depth with respect to flow of money from taxpayers to government and back. “Only government dollars should be spent on what government can do”, Sullivan answered as I asked what government should be doing with our money.
He has great ideas that make sense to me, but others with a different philosophy would disagree. Sullivan mentioned the “yellow pages test”. If there is a business in the yellow pages then there should not be another government entity created to compete with that business. He used copy and print services as an example.
Continued on page ??
“The state does not need to put in their own print and copy department when there is a business that it can flow tax dollars to”, Sullivan exclaimed. He, once again, hit a high note with me on the flow of tax dollars instead of the capturing of tax dollars.
Continuing on with what seemed like a brainstorming session for fixing the inefficiencies of government, Sullivan evangelized on interstate healthcare markets, reforming educational geography limits, consumption based tax systems and Social Security phase out plans.
With my ever optimistic view, I asked what or how we could start to build a better, more efficient government structure. He responded with, “the healthiest thing to happen to Texas”. In 2003, the state budget had a $10,000,000,000 (that’s a lot of zeros) shortfall. Instead of increasing the budget, which would have increased our taxes, the state decided to zero out the budget. With this strategy, every state run entity had to show cause why they should be funded. In other words, prove that they were worthy of our tax dollars.
One program Sullivan mentioned was a program on space flight development. Space flight development in the state owned air space. Yes, space flight. Needless to say that program did not continue on in its entirety. The state found the much needed $10 billion.
One thing that makes EMPOWER TEXANS unique is the Fiscal Responsibility Index. This listing of representatives from their respected districts, both from the House and Senate, uses certain bills introduced in the State Legislature as benchmarks to grade our representatives. Rusk County representatives Chuck Hopson (D) and Kevin Eltife (R) scored 45% and 37% respectfully. The index is weighted according to bills EMPOWER TEXANS is either for or against. You can see a list of how your representative voted and scored at www.EMPOWERTEXANS.com.
As you will see from the bills listed on EMPOWER TEXANS’ website used for benchmarking, most deal with some sort of spending program or reforming of an existing spending program. The index does not rate any of our representatives on the state budget.
Another idea Sullivan mentioned was building a matrix to measure how much “good the public was getting out of our tax dollars.” With some programs, especially education, more money is not the answer. “Throwing more money at it does not work”, Sullivan says. This strategy has been proven inefficient time and time again and the only group that suffers the most is our children. EMPOWER TEXANS is all about efficiency and flow of tax dollars to the most appropriate programs for the greater good.
For more information about how you can become part of EMPOWER TEXANS, log on to www.EMPOWERTEXANS.com or call Michael Quinn Sullivan at 512.236.0201. EMPOWER TEXANS has over 400 active donors and boasts a 60,000 membership on their website. Michael Quinn Sullivan does not directly influence our representatives; he influences the people of Texas to influence their respected representatives. According to the website, Sullivan spends most of his time traveling from Beaumont to El Paso, McAllen to Dalhart speaking to political organizations, civic clubs, neighborhood groups and in educational forums about the important policy reforms needed in Texas.
There is no cost thanks to their generous donors; EMPOWER TEXANS’ desire is to get more Texans engaged in the political and policy process. Sullivan’s speeches are tailored to the groups he is addressing, based on their interests. EMPOWER TEXANS’ primary focus is on fiscal conservativism, but will discuss a broad range of issues of both policy and political interest.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Your Health: The Scale is the Enemy!
Is it the number? Or, is it how you feel about the number? Maybe the number is not the problem… Maybe it’s the way your body feels. Fatigue, bloating, abdominal discomfort, depression, lack of accomplishment and numerous other symptoms of a sedentary lifestyle can rob you of life’s special moments. The Texan takes a look at what can help you have the life you deserve.
The summer of 2009 is in the history books, do you even remember your New Year’s Resolution? Have you exceeded your goals or keep saying I’ll get to them? Did you get into that bikini or flatten that stomach?
In 2007 almost 66% of adults in Texas were obese or overweight. If these trends continue, by the year 2040 75% of all Texas adults will be overweight or obese. For many of these Texans, that resolution certainly included losing weight. Stepping on the scale and seeing that number drop can make or break your weight loss efforts, but is the scale a true reflection of your health?
Most scales simply measure the weight of your mass, which includes fat, muscle, bone, soft tissue, organs, blood and water. Focusing on the scale as your only measure of weight loss can be frustrating and futile. It is only one piece of the body weight puzzle that should also include body fat and circumference measurements. Together, these three factors will give you a much clearer picture of your health and fitness.
To start or re-start, log-on to www.Dynamic-Progress.com to download your free weight loss tracker and measuring guide. Also, as an added bonus to our readers, the Healthy for Life 5-Day Reset Coaching Program is free when you start your USANA 5-Day Reset. Go to www.Dynamic-Progress.com for more information and register today.
I hope that you will find every resource you need in order to have the life and body you deserve. Please email me with any questions or comments Claudia@ Dynamic-Progress.com.
Thank you!
Claudia P. Ramirez, MS, CSCS is an Exercise Physiologist along with a certification in Strength and Conditioning from NASM. She is the founder of Dynamic Progress which focuses on permanent weight loss for morbidly obese individuals through nutrition, emotional counseling and exercise. She is currently the Fitness Director for Baptist Healthlink in San Antonio, Texas and owns SAFitCamp.com that runs 30 minute 3-days-a-week boot camps. Claudia received a BA in Neuroscience from Texas Christian University and a Master’s of Science in Exercise Physiologist. While at Texas Christian University, Claudia played on the Women’s Southwest Conference Champion Tennis Team. Claudia is an avid golfer, has played in two USGA national championships and competes in sprint triathlons around the state.
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